The Blues Critic is
back! Well, sort of. Many of you may remember that this website
began as an album reviews website of new and classic Southern
Soul/R&B/Blues albums. We have decided to get back into the opinions
game. It's just that...opinion. We actually question the usefulness
of reviews (see commentary below) so we are just doing it for entertainment purposes.
People like to read reviews. Simple as that. We aren't accepting
submissions for review. We will only review something we like or
recommend. Our reviews will often be just as much commentary as
review. If we don't like
it we won't review it. Writing negative reviews is pointless and
unnecessary in our opinion. People have their own tastes. There is
no objective way to judge music. You either like it or don't. Yes we're
totally self righteous but we have made peace with that. LOL.

In regards to
reviews, we will use this grading system:

*****
= Excellent.
Best Of The Genre
**** = Very
Good. Just Shy Of Great
*** = Good. A
Solid Effort Though Not Extraordinary
** = Has It's
Moments. Mediocre Over All.

(C) 2018. All written material
found on this website is the property of Blues Critic and may only be used with
permission and full accreditation (either "Blues Critic" or "Dylann DeAnna of
Blues Critic") and link to this website.

***1/2At this point in time it's
safe to say Ms. Jody is the "Queen Of Southern Soul Blues". She hasn't
reinvented the wheel but she has borrowed from her predecessors in
style and image and has risen to become the top female artist in the genre.
The formula is familiar- a tough talkin', risque', sassy, in your
face, take-no-mess women. Going back in recent time you have Denise
LaSalle, Barbara Carr, Sheba Potts-Wright, Lynn White, Trudy Lynn,
Koko Taylor and countless others who used this formula/persona. But
the stereotype dates all the way back to the Ma Rainey and Bessie
Smith days (1920s). Ms.
Jody has her very similar peers in Nellie Tiger Travis, Lacee',
Karen Wolfe, Big Cynthia, Sweet Angel, Val McKnight, Stephanie Pickett, Stephanie McDee- just about every single female Soul Blues artist working
today. In a sense it's the role the business has demanded of a
female Soul Blues singer. At least a black female. On one hand one
could give mad props for the female empowerment but on the other
hand one could reasonably worry about the stereotypes placed on
black women in the Blues. Do they all have to be sex-crazed,
materialistic, baby mamas with attitude? No. Sure, there's a lot of
that. Thankfully that's not always the case. Even if it starts to
feel that way. Besides they say "If a man does it he is a stud
but if a women does she's a whore". Nonsense. Perhaps it's just a
natural push back to macho posturing of male Blues singers. Of
course the subject matter of modern day Soul Blues is one of
repetition and cliche' anyway. Cheating, partying, dancing,
cheating, sexing, celebrating, lost love, searching for a love,
cheating. It's part and parcel and what's good for the goose is good
for the gander. Time and time again women have had to "man up" (yes,
irony intended) and compete in a male-dominated fields. It's a bit
like what President Obama said of Hillary Clinton: "(Like Ginger
Rogers) She's had to do everything I do but backwards and in high
heels". That's about women in general regardless of color. Modern
Soul Blues is what it is and women can dish it out just as well as
they take it. And boy are women good at it! More than ever women are
a vital part of the Southern Soul Blues scene.

Ms. Jody currently
plays the role better than everyone else. And she transcends the
stereotypes with a healthy dose of savvy observation. It's that
whiff of maturity that connects with a larger audience I believe.
Now a distinguished veteran, "I Got The Feeling" is her 11th
all new studio album in just over a decade. That fact alone makes it
remarkable that the quality of her albums still hold up. Naturally,
much credit must be given to the seemingly endless well of musical
ideas bubbling up at Ecko Records, which as been the dominate
Southern Soul Blues label for over two decades now (Malaco/Waldoxy
is/are the king of the 70s/80s/early 90s).

The formula still
delivers. Sexy songs? You have your "Don't Back Up Off It". Jukin'?
I present you with "This Place Is Hot" and "There's A Party Goin'
On"? Cheating? "I'm Tired Of Being A Secret", "It's Too Late To Do
Right Now". Relationship wisdom? "Making Love is Always Better When
The Bills Are Paid". Dance? "Zydeco Rodeo". Cat and dog metaphors? "Dogettes".

As usual the Ecko
production excels at shuffle bumps and ballads with Deep Soul
arrangements. Plenty of bells and whistles (no, not literally) that
fill out each track. Mini-hooks between the large ones. It's an Ecko
trait to add plenty of keyboard, percolating synth and horn fills
throughout the track. And of course Ms. Jody sings with her usual
earthy charm. It's the quality and standard you've come to expect.
The hits just keep on coming over at Ecko Records. If you enjoyed
Ms. Jody's other 10(!) albums this one is a sure thing.
BUY CD

****Who says you can't go home
again? Soul legend William Bell made a name for himself via Stax
Records from 1961-1974 with R&B hits like "You Don't Miss Your
Water", "Everybody Love A Winner", "I Forgot To Be Your Lover",
"Private Number" & "Loving On Borrowed Time". He also helped pen
Albert King's timeless classic "Born Under A Bad Sign". While Bell
enjoyed his biggest hit during a short stint on Mercury Records ("Tryin'
To Love Two", a number 1 R&B smash and his only Top 40 Pop hit, #10)
his most beloved work remains the Stax years. 32 years after he
parted ways with the label he reunites with a terrific new album
featuring that vintage Stax Records sound of horn-powered southern
soul & funky rhythm & blues.

Bell has his own
label, Wilbe Records, where he recorded himself (his last album,
2005's "New Lease On Life" being the most notable) and
introduced Jeff Floyd and Lola to the world. So it came as a
pleasant surprise to many that he had recorded one of those high
profile "comeback" records with the legendary Stax, who were the
pinnacle of Southern Soul, Rhythm & Blues during the civil rights
era and beyond.

Bell, now 76, hasn't
lost more than a pinch of his Gospel-influenced voice. He still
sounds warm, aching, ie "soulful" just as he did decades ago.
Although the album was recorded in New York City and producer John
Leventhal is better known in the alternative-Country realm (his wife
is none other than Rosanne Cash) the sound of Memphis dominates the
album. Leventhal co-wrote 9 of the cuts with Bell and he and his
wife Rosanne wrote together ("Walking On A Tightrope"). Marc Cohn of
"Walking In Memphis" fame also co-authored five songs, including the
first single, "The Three Of Me". A reflective deep soul ballad where
Bell looks back at his life. "Last night I had a dream/And there
were three of me/There was the man I was, the man I am and the man I
want to be". Bell himself adds some lovely harmony vocals but the
cut gets one demerit for some obvious auto-tuning on the lead vocal.
So unnecessary. Even better is track 2 "The House Always Wins",
another wistful, mournful waltzing ballad. In fact "This Is Where
I Live" is a ballad-heavy album. But "Poison In The Well" is a
steady midtempo pounder with a swampy guitar line, the newly updated
"Born On A Bad Sign" begins stripped down (hand claps, acoustic
guitar) before riding a horn and organ wave on the way out. The
title track is classic William Bell. One of those toe-tapping,
head-bobbers with an irresistible refrain. Again, those glorious
horns!

I also want to take a
moment to highlight the funky "Mississippi-Arkansas Bridge", which,
even sonically, sounds like a "bridge" that belongs in the Bayou
with it's swampy guitar and rhythmic underbelly. It's a simple tale
about an interstate tryst set in the backdrop of a "club across the
river/across the bridge to Arkansas" where people there "didn't care
about the law". Bell met a girl that made him "shiver". Cute little
vignette. You just trust that Bell was there and the story is
authentic. Authentic is the word that best describes this effort.
Bell is the real deal after all and at the very least "This Is
Where I Live" is a strong reminder....of where he lives.
BUY CD

***1/2I'm sure there
are many of you that remember those Orson Welles TV commercials he
did for Paul Masson wine (or am I dating myself?). He usually ended
with the slogan that Paul Masson "will sell no wine before it's
time". The idea being that regardless of matters of commerce the
quality of the beverage was the most important. I always got a
chuckle out of the spots because Paul Masson wine is not a
particular good wine. It was cheap and mass-marketed and that
analogy works for music as well. There are some artists (to remain
nameless) that put out product too frequently. They don't appear to
wait until they have a full set of quality songs for a new album.

That
cannot be said of Mr. Al Lindsey. "Love You More" is his
first new album in five years and fifth overall in a recording
career that dates back to 2004 (the self-released "Just Chillin'").
The modern day Southern Soul genre is full of ribald humor, good
times and nasty propositions in your "side piece", "stand up in it"
and "let's get the party started" songs, which are ubiquitous. They
certainly have their place and are well-represented out there.
Lindsey is more of a romantic, more Adult R&B than what is commonly
called "blues" or "soul-blues" (Southern Soul is often called
"blues" even if it has little in common with the 12 bars, guitars
and harmonica "blues").

The
first thing you notice about "Love You More" is the crisp,
clear production and background vocals of Simeo. The coasting,
danceable "Come As You Are" benefits from a genuine sax line by
Bunny Clyde, those drip drip percussion sounds and Lindsey's
trademark smokey vocals but what he excels at best is love songs.
The title track is an instant classic, reminiscent of Ricky White's
very similar "I'll Still Love You". A yearning piano and fuzzy
guitar ballad with Lindsey proclaiming "I still love you" even if
"the sun fails to shine, the oceans run dry, my blood count runs
low, etc". You know you have a good melody when you can sing the
refrain after hearing it only once. This song is special and
deserves to hit out there. We need more in this vein. The fact that
it's the top cut here is saying a lot since the album contains
several strong cover songs, such as Dorothy Moore's "Misty Blue" and
Gregory Abbott's "Shake You Down". On the former Lindsey unleashes
what is perhaps his best vocal on record. It's a gorgeous rendition
and may be the best cover version I've heard. That's saying a lot
since one of my personal faves Little Milton also waxed a version.

The
album isn't shy about talking about faith either. Simeo wrote the
lovely Gospel/trip hop number "I See Jesus", a duet between Lindsey
and Lynne Calloway. Simeo also penned another album highlight
"Luckiest Man" with the sweet refrain "with my baby by my side and
the Lord in my life I'm the luckiest man in the world". You'll be
lucky too if you pick up a copy of this album. It's a light, breezy,
finely-sung and produced feel good record. BUY CD

****On the cover of El' Willie's
new album there's a blurb that reads "Featuring some Jazz, some
Funk, some beautiful ballads, easy listening, just raw Soul music.
Just good old school music with no twists...". That's a pretty fair
description of what's here. It's the El' Willie style at it's best.
While he often uses minimalistic keyboard arrangements that
emphasize the melody and the vocals over the groove it doesn't mean
he can't work up a groove evidenced by one of the standout tracks,
"Check Me Out Babe", a smooth midtempo grinder that (as does all the
tracks) reminds me of Marvin Gaye. He namechecks the great one on
"The Countdown", another laid back-funk headbobber. It's El's "Inner
City Blues" mixed with "A Funky Space Reincarnation". He sings of
space travel to a celestial summit where "The time has come with us
as a people to sit down and straighten this out/So let's designate a
place get together there and I'm sure we can work it out".
Considering the disturbing number of police shootings and
gang-related violence the past few years the message is especially
pertinent.

One of those
"beautiful ballads" is "Never Knew Love Like This Before", a
reminder of what an accomplished songwriter the man is. Then there's
the lovely "It's True It's You". One day some big name R&B singer is
going to discover El's catalog and record some classics. In the
meantime El' deserves some hits of his own in the Southern Soul
market (by the way he co-wrote Theodis Ealey's "Stand Up In It").
He's written hundreds of songs and released eight previous albums by
my count but there's a freshness and fullness to this album that is
quite infectious. The production is fuller- doing away with any
previous criticisms that his recordings are too bare bones.

An accomplished sax
player, El' jazz's up the slinky "Raining In My Heart". A terrific
quiet storm record. "It's nice outside but it's raining in my
heart". His chops are then highlighted on the sax instrumental
"Maybe This Time". It was at this point in the album , which is 15
tracks deep, when it occurred to me how much care is taken to create
an album. Again, being a zealous Marvin Gaye fan, I can appreciate
the importance of the album as an overall statement or piece of art
rather than just a collection of tracks. To create a vibe and/or a
mood is an art in itself. El's albums are best taken as a whole.
That's deliberate and not too common in this singles-driven genre.

As a bonus the album
ends with a new take of one of his best songs, "The Anthem (Get Your
Sh** And Go) Club Uncut Mix", a simmering funky boiler and the
ultimate kiss off. Whether you're new to El' Willie or just need to
catch up "Old School: The Total Package" is an ideal way to
get hip to the El'. He's our dare-I-say modern day Marvin Gaye in
this Southern Soul universe. As track 1 proclaims "El' Willie Done
It Again". BUY CD

7-21-16

"Just The Facts, Ma'am"

A few responses to
more examples of idiocy from Daddy B A Dumbass (DBAD). Now before
you start thinking I'm angry, bitter, resentful, even jealous or
what-have-you the answer is I'm not. Well, yeah, perhaps a little
angry and annoyed over the lack of courtesy and class displayed by someone I was
fair with for many years despite finding him rather cringeworthy.
This is fun for me. I'm loving it. I've been wanting to speak my
mind on him and his work for years. But I'm a nice guy. Thankfully
DBAD gave me cause to speak the truth.

In his incessantly
self-referencing and masturbatory "referendum" that he wrote about
myself and CDS Records he suffered some of his strange flights of
fancy and delusions of grandeur. The kind of behavior some good
psychotropic drugs could keep under control. Like I said I met this
guy once- someone who sought me out during a California trip of his
(possibly to undergo one of his apparent lobotomies) and I
condescended in meeting him. He was this enthusiastic- nay, zealous-
new interloper onto the Southern Soul scene and I had given him the
benefit of a doubt that his aim was true. That's what anyone should
do and would ask for. The benefit of the doubt. He was a different
person then (or so I thought). Presumptuous as hell, yes, but seemed respectful and
humble towards the music he undoubtedly loves. I thought he
understood the protocol. Because it's BLACK music coming from BLACK
culture created almost exclusively by BLACK people. So, us pigmentally-challenged folks need to tread lightly on this
sacred
ground thanks to our history of exploiting African American culture
for our own gain. Do I need to rattle off a list of black artists
who got ripped off by Whitey? I Think not. I once had the gall to
think I was the "blues critic" of Southern Soul. I've been accused
of every nasty thing you can dream of. It hurt because I know where
my heart was/is and my conscience is clear with God but enough of
that. I wholeheartedly believe DBAD displays a disturbing lack of
appropriateness toward his "position" in this community. You don't
just storm on in and think you're an equal. They let you in if
you've earned it. DBAD assumes he has. God knows why.

Now, as I mentioned I
met DBAD upon his request years ago. Just as I had suspected in his
writings I found him a bit off, odd, uncomfortably-forward- the kind
of person who acts like he knows you despite barely having any
history with you. That's reflected in his recent tendentious
writings about my record label and my person.

He writes: "Dylann DeAnna (the
head of CDS Records) and your Daddy B. Nice go way back, a kinship
built over the years as the proprietors of the two information sites
on southern soul."

A "kinship"? Kinship
is thus defined: "noun 1. the state or fact of being of kin; family
relationship. 2. relationship by nature, qualities, etc.; affinity".
Number one is untrue. We are not kin, family. What about two? We are
only in kinship by a "relationship by nature" because we're both
humans. Qualities? Naw I don't think so. From what I've seen from
him I cannot say we have the same qualities. He may think so but I
do not. So "affinity"? Still a stretch. Because of Southern Soul we have "a
similarity of characteristics suggesting a relationship, especially
a resemblance in structure between animals, plants, or languages".
That "relationship", however would only be one of coincidence. We both wrote
about Southern Soul. Also, we aren't the "two" as if that were the
only two. There have been and are many sites that cover Southern
Soul to some degree,

"Your (there
he goes again with the YOUR) Daddy B. Nice came into southern
soul as a former writer, DeAnna as a former musician, and when
DeAnna went into record publishing, I naturally wished him the best
and--to a large extent--gave him a “pass,” partly because DeAnna's
good at arm-twisting, and partly because I believed what he was
doing was good for southern soul.

However, the arrival of two new Ricky White-produced CD’s from CDS
gives me the opportunity to talk at last about the California (now
Ohio-based) label with a little more depth and frankness--a
responsibility I owe my readers"

DBAD speaks of a
"responsibility" he "owes" his readers. Isn't that precious? Oh
dear! What are his six readers going to do without hearing from the
"guide to black music"? Will they wander the wilderness for 40 years
awaiting word from the Almighty "defender" of Southern Soul?
Or maybe. Just maybe they can
discern for themselves what's good music or not. Imagine
that. Poor old "daddy" isn't needed after all. "A little more depth"
he foams? There is no depth in this vindictive, thinly-disguised
hit piece he warned me he was going to write. He has no depth
because he doesn't understand the mechanics of music. He cannot
create music. He thinks he understands music but this is
coming from someone that proclaimed that "Jonathan Burton is not a
songwriter". That is categorically false yet he blithely stands by
it. It's not deep because it is in essence a bitchy, transparent
trope from a man suffering the greatest butthurt known to man. (Read
his
nastygram to me:)

He claims he came
"into Southern Soul as a former writer". Of what? Dirty
limericks on
bathroom stall walls? Reviews on new vacuum cleaners? Personal ads
about being a lonely white male seeking a Dominatrix who's into
golden showers? I really don't know. I can only guess based on my
impressions of him. Then he says I came into Southern Soul as a
"former musician". That's true but I was also a former newspaper
reporter. The only thing that makes me kinda qualified was my being
a musician and infrequent songwriter.

Then he said "to a
large extent" he "gave me a pass". That's rich. This is coming from
someone who begged me to send him music to review. The truth is I
didn't feel it would be in capable, trustworthy hands. I had read
(maybe visiting his site once a month at best) his reviews- some of
things he praised and things he panned- just told me he was a loose
cannon who couldn't be trusted with the job of writing album reviews
let alone the responsibility of handling a TV remote. Too frequently
he went too far in criticizing something he didn't like, saying
offensive things about the artist rather than the music (Read his
apology for doing so). There were
times I actually said to him: "Fine, I'll send you some music but if
you don't like it then don't review it". I guess that's a "twisting
of his arm". Then he would get testy with me as if I was being rude
for not wanting him to review anything I was involved with. He felt
he was entitled to receive any and all music from everyone because
he simply existed on the Internet. He had a website and liked giving
opinions. How novel and unheard of among the billions of websites on
the WWW.

"But wait--you say. Haven't
southern soul fans repeatedly voted Carl Marshall and Ricky White
"Best Producers" of the year in the annual Blues Critic Reader's
Poll? Well, DeAnna hasn't been above succumbing to self-promotion on
occasion. It's true the annual Blues Critic Awards are voted on by
the fans (although they vote on a list compiled by DeAnna in all
categories), but DeAnna himself chooses the "Best Producer" (a fact
often overlooked). It's DeAnna who's voted his own producers (or
producers-to-be, to be fair in White's case), not the fans."

Before I respond please remember ALL of his so-called awards are
chosen 100% by one person: Himself. There is no consensus. No vote.
Just his picks. You see the hypocrisy here? It's also not even
accurate (the guy can't be trusted as I told you). In the 11 years
we have done the Blues Critic Awards (of which DBAD copied and even
tried to backdate to come close to when we started them) it has only
been the past two years where the Blues Critic staff (yes we are a
company not just one lone weirdo) has chosen Artist Of The Year and
Producer Of The Year. Carl Marshall was in fact picked by tens of
thousands of voters- not us! In 2010 the only award we chose was
Artist Of The Year and in 2010 we picked Mel Waiters (never a CDS
artist). Ricky White has won twice BUT the voters chose Ricky White
one of those times. So you see YOUR "Daddy" plays wild and loose
with the facts. (See the entire history of the BC Awards results
here).

Did you also notice his
puerile,
dismissive reference to Ricky White as a "producer-to-be"? Again,
this coming from a talentless non-record producer who can only produce
bad reviews and bowel
movements (both equally foul).

"Daddy B. Nice's "Best Producer"
awards over roughly the same time period went to T.K. Soul in 2014,
Big Yayo in 2013, Harrison Calloway in 2012, Luther Lackey in 2011
and Carl Marshall in 2010, with Bigg Robb and John Ward always in
the running. Who do you think was more objective?"

Hmmm...very
interesting. In 2010 our readers picked Carl Marshall as
Producer Of The Year. Who did YOUR "Daddy" pick in 2010? Carl
Marshall! Bigg Robb has been nominated every year as has John Ward.
Both have won. John Ward twice. We chose the winner in 2014 and
2015. Ricky White was our pick in 2014 (justified in our opinion)
and Beat Flippa won in 2015. So who do you think REALLY is more
objective? A person who chooses every single winner of his awards
himself or a Readers Poll where every award other than 2 are chosen
by tens of thousands of people? The Blues Critic Awards were the
first and only legitimate online "Southern Soul Awards"
with The Jus' Blues Awards and Jackson Music Awards being the only
award shows for this music.

"I’ve been “mum” about my
reservations about Carl Marshall as a CDS producer for years, even
as I think history has confirmed my secret misgivings. Who remembers
any of those albums he produced? The only really good ones were the
Carl Marshall albums themselves,"

This is just
obnoxious and querulous (recall again his butthurt
letter).
I'll let the reader decide if the ONLY Carl Marshall-produced albums
that were any good were his own:

Suffice it to say
Carl Marshall has more talent and integrity in one hair of his glorious
beard than "your daddy" has in his whole body. He isn't worthy of
Carl Marshall, who's a great talent and great man. But he, Daddy B A
Dumbass (real name Bruno Niceswanger)? Eh, not so much.

-Dylann DeAnna

7-20-16

Album Review

Travis "Moonchild" Haddix "Mellow Moonchild" (Wann-Sonn)

**** Last year the first comprehensive
"greatest hits" album was released on longtime Blues veteran Travis
"Moonchild" Haddix. We, as Blues Critic Records, released the
compilation, entitled "It's My Time Now: The Best Of", which
contained 4 new tracks and 14 of the Moonchild's best (18 total
tracks). It was maddeningly difficult to create a single disc (80
minutes maximum on a CD) representative of his distinguished career.
You see, not only is he a master of B.B. King-like guitar-based
electric blues but he's also a creator of gorgeous (Deep) Southern
Soul ballads. We only included one on "It's My Time"
("Winners Never Quit") but this new collection, "Mellow Moonchild",
rectifies the problem by gathering other key ballads, Blues and 4
new tracks. This makes for the perfect companion to our release
(shameless plug alert) or just a great stand-alone album. The
noteworthy ballads include "Through With Love" from his third
Ichiban Records release "What I Know Right Now", "Penny For
Your Thoughts" from "I Got A Sure Thing" and "Wasting Tears"
extracted from "Dance To The Blues", a 1995 album released on
Haddix's own Wann-Sonn imprint.

As far as the new
tracks "50-50 Relationship" is a sprite jump blues with horns, "Mr.
Riley B. King", a slow Blues jam in praise of the late King Of The
Blues B.B. King, "If You Know Better" benefits from a greasy, funky
groove and tight horn fills and the grinding "Dog Biscuits" includes
some of that famous Moonchild wit via use of the trusty men as dogs
metaphor: "I like my coffee real hot/I like my women big and
fat/Nothing but a dog that loves a bone/Most of the times he buries
that".

Although this is
technically a "best of" type release with some new tracks added it's
one of the best overall portraits available from the unheralded
genius of the Blues. Whether you have no Haddix in your collection
(shame on you!) or have all his albums you will find yourself
playing this one more often than nearly all the others. Essential.
BUY CD

7-19-16

Deflating An Ego 2

It just gets better and better.
It's a gift that keeps on giving. As you know I've been dressing
down an amateur, attention-seeking troglodyte lately who has his own
website where he writes reviews of Southern Soul albums.
His hubris has gone off the map and has entered delusional
disorder territory over the importance he places on himself and his
site. This blanch-skinned fellow claims he's
"defending the Southern Soul sound" and that he is a
"guide" to black music. It seems he's quite fond of his abilities. The guy references himself as
much as the artist he's reviewing. That's no surprise because rest
assured the whole impetus of his website is to promote himself. Ever
notice how often he refers to himself as "your" this or that?

Recently he burped out his little
gem:

"P.S. Your (name withheld of drooling
imbecile) recently took SOUTHERN SOUL BLUES author David Whiteis to
task, telling Whiteis he was "shocked" and "concerned" the author
wasn't keeping up with the youthful resurgence (J'Wonn, Pokey Bear,
Tucka, Bishop Bullwinkle--haha) in southern soul. It's an elite
fraternity, those who get in the way of your (name withheld of
delusional, anorexic, shoe-sniffer) defending the "southern soul"
sound"

As many of you likely know David
Whiteis is an actual music critic. A published professional
highly respected. He has published several well-received books on
Blues and even Southern Soul (aka Soul Blues) and if you have ever
read Living Blues magazine you've likely read his consistently
balanced, well-thought out album reviews.

Yet this other "critic" thinks he
"took...author David Whiteis to task". In the name of all that is
Holy this is one of the most hilarious things I've read in some
time. Sadly he wasn't trying to be funny. I assure you Mr. Whiteis
didn't break the slightest sweat over being taken "to task" by the
self-appointed "defender" of Southern Soul. He's too polite to react
indignantly. He's humble and open to criticism despite his stature.
The great "defender" is not.

Here's another one of his brain
farts:

"My mistake with CDS and Dylann DeAnna is that
I've always assumed (stupid of me) that he liked what I liked, and
he'd experienced (the Deep South) what I'd experienced. And this, I
suspect, is what is coming back all these years later to bite him
(and me) in the ass. Dylann DeAnna doesn't really like southern
soul.

Any more. "

People, I've met this nutjob one
time. When I was living in California he was out there for some
reason (to search for a clue?) and he wanted to meet me so I
begrudgingly met him and we talked for about 20 minutes. I can say I
was completely underwhelmed but, anyway, I find it comical that he
assumed that I "liked what he liked". Why? We barely know each
other. We're not friends. I don't even consider him a colleague.
I've tried to be nice to him over the years. I've tolerated him.
Answering his many emails about this or that. I didn't say a word
when he copied and pasted large chunks of material from this website
onto his own and then copied our Blues Critic Awards with his lame
"Daddies", which I think he now calls "Southern Soul Awards". Guess
what- it's just his twee opinion on who wins. There is no consensus.
No votes. Just the fantasy world of one self-centered ectomorph. Not
long ago I even considered his offer of doing some business together
where both our sites would link to the other in symbiotic fashion. I
wasn't upset at his plagiarism. He has no clue what I've
"experienced" so his frequent assumptions have become obnoxious. Now
he says I (and uses my full name) "doesn't really like Southern
Soul. Any more". Not to pat myself on the back but acting as a
record label I have paid for and assisted in the creation of over
100 Southern Soul & Blues albums. What has he produced? How can a
non-musician have the audacity to think he is an authority on
Southern Soul music- on black music in general- when all he does is leech off the people who
produce the music? He hasn't contributed one song. He just sits back
and smugly judges it.

I've only sent him music to review
when he's practically begged for it. I've never really respected his
opinion and now he's throwing a tantrum. See, he doesn't so much as
write reviews but rather writes self-indulgent rants filled with
unreliable opinions simply of what HE likes. It's all about him. The
problem is he likely suffers from crushing insecurity (at having no
musical talent) and is prone to writing out of petulance and rancor.
He doesn't really care about the music. He cares about himself and
uses the genre to make a name for himself. Well he has made a name
and that name is....your "Daddy B A Dumbass".

7-18-16

Deflating An Ego

As I anticipated that
self-absorbed, jealous, bed-wetter of a "critic" I told you about showed
no class in writing an article about me personally 8 days after I
reviewed him and his silly album reviews (without using his name(s)
mind you). He also proceeded to say negative things about albums by
Ricky White and Donnie Ray with his usual truculent, unbelievable
opinions. This coming from a pasty white, thin, weirdo with no
musical talent whatsoever. Stay tuned as I will further expose this
unethical, black culture-tresspassing bandit for the shameless
self-promoter he "B".

It's a shame because he used to
have a little bit of humility and honesty. Check out this email from
years ago when he was new.

click

He wrote this letter after I
pointed out some nasty, personal things he said about Carl Marshall
and Nellie Tiger Travis

He was responding in part to this
email I sent a few days prior:

click

Compare that to the email he sent
me July 9th of this year when I criticized one of his reviews.
Warning! Superfluous profanity. He also is now divorced, which may
explain one of his bizarre opening remarks about marrying me.

click

Sure I condescended in giving him
an opinion on his reviews over the years. What is troubling is that
this person seemingly can dish it out but just can't take it.

new commentary
"The Absurdity Of Talentless White Men Judging Black Music Like Southern Soul:
Part 1"

(subject to
potential revisions)

“If you don’t have anything nice to
say don’t say anything at all”

Full disclosure first.

I used to be a “blues critic”. This
website still contains the vestigial phrase “blues critic” among its
titles. Yes, this site began as an album reviews site, particularly
of Southern Soul Blues music. Why? Because I had recently
“discovered” this modern day musical style dubbed “Soul Blues”
and/or “Southern Soul” and I needed a hobby. I fell in love with
this music and I feasted heavily on music from Malaco/Waldoxy, Ecko
and Mardi Gras Records, who were producing nearly all the music
available from this genre. It’s always exciting to find new music
one loves. I know many of you share the sentiment with me.

When Blues Critic began no one else
to my knowledge was dedicating a website primarily to Southern Soul
album reviews. You could find some in Living Blues Magazine and the
online Blues Bytes but for the most part this niche market was
terribly under-represented. There also was the magazine Chittlin’
Circuit if you could find a copy. Blues Critic and the album reviews
soon became popular. This is in part thanks to Internet pioneers
Jerry “Boogie” Mason and the late “Funky” Larry Jones who were the
first ones to create websites dedicated to the genre of Southern
Soul. They introduced Blues Critic to a larger base of Southern Soul
fans. I remain eternally grateful. People apparently liked reading
my reviews. People generally like reading reviews so that was no big
surprise. As Blues Critic’s popularity grew it eventually evolved
into a cd store (after copious inquiries about “Where can I buy this
or that cd?” showed a real need and, consequently, an untapped
market). Blues Critic (and later Soul Blues Music) became the first
Internet cd store that focused almost exclusively on Southern Soul
and/or Soul Blues cds. I didn’t expect the store would become so
successful. I’m grateful to God for that since I started the website
with zero plans to make money. It was just a labour or love (or so I
thought). The website also led to the creation of the long-running
Internet radio station “Blues Critic Radio
Southern Soul” and the
record label CDS Records. And the rest is history. Well, not quite.
Being in the record label business of producing music and dealing
directly with artists created in my mind and others a crisis of
conscience over writing album reviews. I began to feel
uncomfortable- especially being a white guy- commenting on black
culture; promoting myself on the backs of predominately black
artists and unquestionably black music. I began to feel like a
“culture bandit”. That is to say someone that adopts (steals) the
culture of another race for one's own purposes and benefit. Whites
have borrowed (to be charitable) from black music for nearly as long
as black music has existed in America.

Being that Blues Critic expanded to
include a record label it suddenly became a conflict of interest to
review Southern Soul albums. Not just our own product but that of
natural competitors (rival labels). But on a deeper level I began to
really question exactly what service reviewing music provides? Yes
people like to read reviews but just how influential were the
reviews as to whether the reader would seek out the album and more
importantly purchase it? How might that affect the livelihood of the
artist or record label that spent money to create, distribute and
promote the music, the art? And being that it is only my opinion why
did I think so much of myself to believe I can continue judging
other people’s art? I am not a Southern Soul artist. I’ve written
and produced songs but I’m not a recording artist so I honestly feel
that only equals should judge each other. It is my belief that only
Southern Soul recording artists can realistically judge their peers.
Not some non-artist. Sure, you could say that writing reviews is in
itself an art form. But that’s not the point. In scientific
literature for a paper to gain any credibility it must be
“peer-reviewed” by others in the particular scientific field the
paper touches on. Fine I say. Then music critics can judge other
music critics…and thus I shall. So how about a review/critique of a
reviewer/critic? Seems fair game to me. After all I stopped being a
reviewer/judger of another’s art. I repented. Not long after my
repentance another (white) guy copied my original site (including
yearly “awards”, the difference being almost all our awards are
voted on by readers not just the opinion of the Blues Critic staff)
and went into the business of setting himself up as some kind of
expert of Southern Soul. A "guide to black music". Suffice it to say: he sho’ nuff aint.

Everyone is entitled to their own
opinion.

Reviewing the reviewer. Those that
can’t do become music reviewers and those that can’t write a good
review become this guy.

First I must ask. What actual purpose
does a music critic really serve? Why do we have them? It’s just
opinion and we all know what they say about opinions. More
importantly, what drives a person to think he/she can judge someone
else’s art? What is going on psychologically or emotionally to cause
a person to think they are somehow worthy of judging art? Could it
be a self-absorbed, inflated regard for one’s self? Is it just a
lapse of judgment to write about something completely subjective yet
do so with the air of authority? The review really only exists
because of someone else’s production. Without the album there would
be no review of it so in a real sense music critics resemble
parasites feeding on the blood, sweat and tears of someone with
actual musical talent and his/her creations said talent produces.
Now you may suspect I’m just being “bitter” or “whiney” or have sour
grapes over some particular negative critique that some hack wrote
but it goes well beyond that. Don’t get lead astray by that red
herring tactic when the bigger picture is: What makes a man/woman
think they have the right to review someone else’s art- and
publicly? And for personal gain to boot? Sure I may believe that
Nina Simone is vastly greater than Madonna but that is just my
opinion. Is there some objective criteria to “prove” that Nina
Simone’s art is greater than Madonna’s? Is it popularity for
example? Well, Madonna has sold tens of millions more records than
Nina Simone so does that mean Madonna’s “art” is greater than that
of Nina Simone’s? It is my opinion that the answer is a resounding
“HELL NAW”. I detest Madonna. But what would motivate me to publish
this opinion publicly? What is it about me that compels me to give
such an opinion? What else is gained other than to promote me, the
critic? Or perhaps just take a swipe at the Material Girl because I
don’t like her? What service to mankind do negative opinions/reviews
of music provide? Why does one write such a review? An altruistic
desire to protect the public? God forbid one of us wasn’t warned and
wandered across some bad art!

Sure a positive review can produce
positive results for someone else but is that the reason I or anyone
is doing it? Sometimes yes. I have wanted to promote my favorites.
Most of us like to share. But then I ask myself: Why do I deserve
attention by giving my humble opinion of an artist’s work. The act
really isn’t humble at all. Is it justified because, admittedly,
everyone likes reading reviews and people need someone to sift
through and tell us what’s good and what’s bad? It’s really a
ludicrous and pointless exercise. We can’t help it though. We like
giving and sometimes even receiving opinions from others. We
enjoy reading reviews and we may even find a particular critic that
has the same tastes as us so his/her opinion is therefore
trustworthy to us. I get it. Nothing I say is going to have any
effect on the practice. But when does a review and reviewer go
beyond just a review but more like a rant? Are there any unwritten
laws or etiquette concerning the writing of reviews? Sadly, no but
most of us are smart enough to notice when someone goes too far.

Well I believe it is time to write a
review of a certain reviewer. I’ve bit my tongue far too long. This
egomaniac must be taken down a peg or three. He takes himself way
too seriously. I will not name him quite yet (see above), lest I give him more publicity
than he warrants. Please don’t ask. It doesn’t matter and he would
be thrilled by the attention. Don’t feed the trolls.

See there’s a somewhat popular,
self-promoting, lily-white nitwit reviewer of Southern Soul who
recently wrote this in his review of Sir Jonathan Burton’s CD “New
Swing Soul”

“Jonathan Burton is an arranger/producer, not a songwriter, and it
finally catches up with him on his latest CD”:

Yes, hard to believe I know. This clueless, absurd
and inaccurate comment comes from a man who has never written a song
or at least not one anyone knows or cares about. The hubris is
staggering. Jonathan Burton is obviously a fine songwriter who has
had a string of hit songs in Southern Soul such as “Funky House
Party”, “Best Day Of My Life”, “Too Much Booty Shakin’”, “The Party
Don’t Start ‘Til I Get There”, “Meat On Them Bones”, “Southern Soul
Showdown” to name a few. Nevertheless this self-appointed arbitrator
of everything Southern Soul has decided to declare Mr.
Burton “not a songwriter”. It would be funny if it wasn’t so
embarrassingly and tragically ironic. But it gets him attention.
People visit his site just like they visited this one to read the
reviews. Plus negative reviews create controversy and that equals
site visits (webpage “hits”). So this “critic” uses Mr. Burton to
promote himself and his site. Mr. Burton is just a sacrifice to his
colossal ego. To say a proven songwriter is “not a songwriter” is
just moronic. Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion but let’s
just analyze the motivation to publish such a silly opinion.

It’s one thing to say you don’t think the songs have
much merit but to make a smug, petulant comment like “Jonathan
Burton is…not a songwriter” doesn’t even pretend to be an objective
criticism. It’s a “pet peeve” of his so what value does it really
have to a reader? Compare this to a review by an actual
professional, respected critic like David Whiteis. You would never
find him saying something so incredible. Sure one doesn’t have to
have written a song to know what songwriting is so it’s not a matter
of whether one can competently write about a songwriter and
songwriting but rather should he/she? Doesn’t it reek of a
lack of modesty and humility for a non-songwriter to call another
“not a songwriter”, especially someone that’s written well over 100
songs? This Burton reviewer clearly has a personal issue about Mr.
Burton as an artist. But think for a minute about the consequences
of such an unfair attack. How does it affect the means by which Mr.
Burton supports himself? This is his job. Among other things to
write, record and perform songs. Then along comes someone who has no
regard to how he/she might affect Mr. Burton’s livelihood by
trashing his skills. There’s a saying: “If you have nothing NICE to
say don’t say anything at all”. Could it be that this white,
not-so-"nice" expert only cares about what he gains from hurting Mr.
Burton? Maybe it wasn’t his intention to harm Mr. Burton but he did
regardless…and for what? Is it not to elevate himself and line his
pockets? Again, without Mr. Burton creating something the review
wouldn’t exist. The critic is tantamount to a leech, no? Is that an
exaggeration? I think not.

This is just one of a depressingly large number of
examples where this megalomaniacal white “know-it-all” proves that
critics “bear more grudges than lonely high court judges” to quote
singer Morrissey. To be frank I highly doubt this critic could get
an actual job as a writer as his output is often so unintentionally
laugh-inducing that one must wonder if
it’s satire. He’s needlessly verbose and often makes ridiculous references and analogies that leave one scratching their head
and
thinking “What the f!@#&?”. He is truly an amateur but with a
shameless lack of humility that should go with being one. He is not
completely unentertaining but his opinions? They just kind of suck.

Yes everyone has the right to express their opinions
or “reviews”. This commentary is about when a reviewer goes beyond a
review. But don’t trust me- After all this is just a review and I am
portraying the reviewer. So what inspired me to write this review of
another reviewer? Arrogance? Self-justification? Self-righteousness?
Pet peeve? Yep, probably all those. I used to be a critic after all.
Damn. Maybe I still am. Call me a hypocrite if you must but even if
you do that other reviewer’s opinion still sucks.

But what does being “white” have anything to do with
this? That is for part 2.

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